A cheap motel’s neon sign lighting up tanned skin. Chestnut colored hair splayed on the white pillows. Rosy lips parted when she sighed my name as I…
I shake my head, bringing myself back to the present.
It was a dick move, pretending I had no idea who she was. What was I supposed to do? Reminisce about our one-night stand in front of all these strangers and herdad?
No thanks.
Life’s been throwing shitty thing after shitty thing my way, and I haven’t thought much about her in the last few years, but seeing her again brought every moment of our time together back to the forefront of my mind.
What kind of trick is this?
I can’t quit this job before it starts, especially over a random one-night stand.
Hopefully, our paths won’t cross very often.
Who am I kidding?
She’s the boss’s daughter. Of course, we’ll run into each other.
Shit.
Mr. Calhoun eyes me curiously before he makes his way around the desk. “Sorry about that. Juniper… she’s got anxiety, and sometimes it pops up unexpectedly. I’m sure she’ll apologize once she calms down. For now, I’ll give you the onboarding paperwork, and hopefully she’ll be back to show y’all around. Addison, since you missed the introductions, this is Rusty, Briggs, and Oakley.”
I give my new coworkers a nod as Mr. Calhoun passes each of us a clipboard with a few sheets of paper and a pen. Briggs and Rusty start filling it out, and I do the same. A weird feeling settles in my stomach. Is what I said what made her anxious? Why would it make her feel that way? It’s not like it’s a big deal. She could have played it off like a mistake.
“Poor thing,” Oakley coos. “What’s her favorite dessert? I’ll talk Landry into making something that’ll cheer her up.”
Why do I wish I knew how to bake soIcould be the one to cheer her up?
Mr. Calhoun offers her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Oakley, but that won’t be necessary. Juniper just needs a minute to herself. I’m sure by the end of the day, she’ll be cracking jokes. Before you know it, she’ll be ready to take you all out to meet her friends at The Copper Mule. Just give her a minute to warm up to ya.”
Oakley nods, ducking her head to fill out her forms. The only sound in the room for a few minutes is the scratch of pens on paper.
When we’ve all filled out our forms, Mr. Calhoun goes over the rules and expectations for employees. The ranch’s main priority is safety for guests, animals, and staff alike. Since the guests’ vacation memories are what we’re selling, sometimes that’ll mean dropping what we’re doing to ensure their needs are being met.
We’re expected to rotate out of attending evening activities.Everyone but Oakley—who only gets weekends off—gets one day a week and Sundays off. Communication is key, and patience is a must. Two things I struggle with. I can take direction just fine, and I’ll do what I need to do, but patience… not my strong suit. Communication? I would rather work in silence.
We’re expected to have a good attitude toward the guests, which will be easy if they don’t do anything stupid, and any issues we may have, we take directly to Juniper or Mr. Calhoun if she’s unavailable.
I’m not going to her for anything.
He reiterates that while we should be friendly with guests, they’re not our friends. We should remain professional at all times and treat everyone with respect.
“Staying professional means that any romantic relationships with guests are forbidden.” Mr. Calhoun says, looking each of us in the eyes. “We had it happen once, and it was a horrible experience for everyone involved. Been there, done that, won’t be doing it again.”
“Are there any rules about employee relationships?” Rusty asks, and everyone’s head swings his way. “I just mean… it’s good to know!”
“There are no rules against employee relationships, so long as you don’t let it affect your work. You’re all adults. I trust you’ll conduct yourself as such.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.” Rusty looks like he wants to die.
“I want to hear the story about the guests,” Oakley whispers, nudging my arm.
I don’t particularly care about the story; I want to know if Rusty’s thinking about asking out Juniper.
It doesn’t matter. What she does is none of your business.
I have no reason to be worrying about who she may or may not date. Rusty might not have been talking about her.
